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TESOL NEWSLETTER
April 2011
FROM JAMES STAKENBURG
This year has been so busy that I missed the March newsletter. Our TESOL department is busy with a variety of new and existing courses, and a new trainer has just joined our ranks. We are very excited to have Autumn as part of our team.
I have just come back from a week in New Orleans - part vacation and part TESOL Convention. It was really fun and exciting to attend a variety of different sessions and get some new activities to share, some new ideas about teaching various aspects of English and the latest updates on current second language acquisition theory and research. I am now eager to put these new ideas into practice and incorporate them into the TESOL courses that we offer. One of the great things about teaching is that you never stop learning.
I hope that you will also be inspired.
James
212-867 8700
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New York
The Inside Scoop (word-of-mouth advice from someone who's been there)
There are basically two student populations for ESOL in New York - the substantial population of resident New Yorkers whose first language isn't English ans there is also the large number on non-native speakers of English who come to New York to learn English. The numbers of students here for a short time almost doubles over the busy summer months, while schools and organizations that serve the local population tend to have steadier numbers throughout the year. There are a lot of private language schools, as well as a large number of organizations that offer free and/ or paid English classes. So there is work out there - especially in the busy summer months.
Classes can be teaching General English, exam preparation, academic English or Business English. Abroad, there is also a huge demand for teaching English to Young Learners, though in New York, this happens almost exclusively within the K-12 system.
Please note: While every endeavor is made to ensure this information is accurate, Rennert is not responsible for any incorrect information. |
ESOL Teaching Ideas
It's impossible to cover every type of activity in the course, so this is a (hopefully helpful) forum for sharing additional ideas. If you have any great ideas/ activities etc that you would like to share, please email me
ACTIVE LISTENING CARD GAME
TESOL 2011 Sue Miller, Tamara Jones, Char Heitman
Focuses on active listening techniques (back channeling)
Students work in pairs. They each have 3 or 4 cards with the label of each category of active listening techniques (see below). Listener puts down a card every time they use one of the active listening techniques.
o Encouraging words - "Wow!" "Yeah!"
o Emphasis question - "Really?"
o Repeating question - A: "I went to Chicago." B: "Chicago?"
o Information question - "What did you watch?"
o Comments - "That's so interesting." |
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Additional TESOL Offerings 2011
If you want to update your qualifications with a teaching specialty, we have several new courses next year that might be of interest to you:
Teaching English to Young Learners
If you plan to teach children this is especially useful if you are heading abroad, since there is a lot of work teaching children)
March 28 - April 1
May 9 - May 13
June 27 - July 1
November 7 - November 11
December 19 - Dec 23
Teaching Business English
Teaching Business English is in high demand abroad and popular in the U.S. This course will equip you to confidently teach these specialty classes.
January 31 - February 4
May 23 - May 27
September 6 - September 9
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Explore Rennert on Facebook
Rennert's TESOL program has a Facebook page and sign up as a fan. You can see course photos, join discussions, find out details of upcoming events at Rennert, and meet new friends.
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Free Professional DevelopmentWorkshops at Rennert
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WL-SIT TESOL Certificate Alumni in New York can attend Rennert's free in-house professional development workshops for for the rest of their career.
Professional Development sessions are held each month.
Last month the session was on ways to get students speaking more in class. The topics for April are to be set soon and SIT @ Rennert alumni will be emailed with thr course details.
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Observing ESL
Classes at Rennert
It's very common for people to wonder exactly what happens in an ESL classroom.
"How can you teach English without also speaking the students' language?"
"How is a communicative language class similar to, or different from, my own language learning experiences?"
"Will I enjoy teaching as much as I think I will?"
To take some of the mystery out of this, we welcome those interested in becoming teachers to come and observe classes at Rennert. Participants on the course as well as alumni of the course also have standing invitations to observe classes any time. This is a really great opportunity for new or experienced teachers to gather extra ideas and techniques. And if you are thinking about becoming an ESL teacher but aren't quite sure if it's the right thing for you, this is a great chance to see what it's all about.
If you are interested in coming in and watching a class, just give me a call or send me an email.
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